I took it on the chin: Gillard

Deputy Labor leader Julia Gillard says she has accepted Liberal senator Bill Heffernan's apology after he questioned whether she was fit to lead because she was "deliberately barren".

Prime Minister John Howard yesterday forced Senator Heffernan to apologise to Ms Gillard for the comments.

The apology came less than a day after the publication of an interview in The Bulletin in which Senator Heffernan stood by remarks he made last year, questioning whether the deputy Labor leader could fully understand the electorate because she chose to remain childless.

Ms Gillard today said she was not angry and she had now moved on.

"He's made his comments," she told Southern Cross Broadcasting.

"They are personal comments, I took them on the chin," she said.

"I did think that they indicated that Bill was stuck in the past and that was the only comment I made yesterday.

"He's apologised now and I accept that apology."

Ms Gillard said she could understand if other women had been offended by Senator Heffernan's comments.

"I can understand why women around the country have been offended by these remarks," she said.

"It is a criticism in some ways of how women make choices.

"Women know how tough it is to make choices about family, about career."

Ms Gillard said her choice to not have children had not been based on a medical problem.

"I am not, as I understand it, unable to have children," she said.

"I made a set of choices through my life about my career, relationships and things, and that set of choices adds up to one big choice at the end.

"It certainly would have been worse if he had made those remarks and the truth was that I had a genuine medical problem."

Ms Gillard said she could only recall having one brief conversation with Senator Heffernan during her career in federal politics.

But she said that, while she condemned the comments, it was time for politicians to get on with policy and stop attacking each other.

I wouldn't be offended: Vanstone

Former Liberal minister Amanda Vanstone says she would not personally be offended by Senator Heffernan's remarks.

But the straight-talking recently retired senator said her former Liberal colleague was wrong to say what he did.

Despite not having children herself, Ms Vanstone said she was not insulted by the comments because "everyone is entitled to their views".

She said she had been asked about not having children at the beginning of her career, and could understand why people might have have taken offence at Senator Heffernan's comments.

"Two decades ago I was surprised that someone was asking that, that's why I say Bill's a bit in the dark ages on this," Ms Vanstone told ABC Radio.

"And then I was a bit miffed because I was new, but ... you're talking to someone who's had 22 years of battering, so I'm a bit inured to it."

However, Ms Vanstone said she didn't agree with Senator Heffernan's comments.

"I think it was a silly thing to say, I certainly do not agree with it and it's a bit out of the dark ages as far as I'm concerned."

Ms Vanstone said Senator Heffernan would have to deal with the consequences.

"I think Senator Heffernan will feel the wrath of female voters and of fathers, for example. I mean no father that I know thinks of anything other than his daughter should be able to make all the choices she wants."

While she described the comments as "out of touch", Ms Vanstone said calls for Senator Heffernan to be sacked were going too far.

"If every time someone says something you don't like or you think it's out of place, or if every time something goes wrong, you want to sack people, you'll end up with a government and an opposition frankly, that's unmanageable." AAP